When using photos of Beacons, choose photos that capture natural movement, authentic interactions, and candid moments. The best photos capture a sense of story, so give
preference to images that highlight interesting interactions between Beacons in moments of collaboration, exploration, or celebration. Try to choose photos that feel light and airy, and keep the subjects in frame.
From the residence halls to the Chapel of the Resurrection, we showcase our campus in photographs that establish a sense of place in our pieces, allowing our audiences to anchor
themselves in the place we call home. Offer views of unique, significant campus locations, and give preference to photos that include people interacting with their environment.
Separating parts of an image from their backgrounds creates an easy stylized effect. We use these masked images on solid color backgrounds or layered with radiating lines. (See the following sections for more examples.)
Turn Valpo photos into textural graphics by applying a halftone pattern. This technique should be used sparingly and on images without large amounts of detail. Our custom halftone pattern incorporates a circular, radiating motif that further echoes our brand narrative.
This effect is created with a photo layer, a pattern layer, and a few adjustment layers in a specific stack order in Photoshop.
Creating good halftone results takes some fine-tuning from image to image, depending on contrast, detail, and resolution. The steps listed here will always apply, but some values may require adjustment to achieve optimal results.
Creating your Photoshop effect stacks
1. Select the image you want to edit. Bring it into Photoshop. Convert it to a smart object.
2. Convert the image to grayscale.
3. Set the image resolution to ~300 PPI for a smooth result.
4. Create a curves adjustment layer above your image. This can be done from the Adjustment Layer shortcut in the Layers panel, or from the top toolbar.
5. Place the concentric circle pattern provided in the brand assets or create your own in Illustrator. This layer should be placed as a smart object and should go above the image layer. Stretch the pattern to cover the majority of the photo.
6. Add a threshold adjustment layer at the top of your layer stack. Set the threshold to around 100. This may need to be adjusted based on your photo.
Setting up the effect
7. Turn off the threshold layer for now to see the following adjustments more clearly.
8. Select the pattern layer and add a Gaussian Blur from the Filter dropdown. Set the blur value to ~4 px.
9. Select the curves layer and adjust the handles of the graph to approximately the position shown below. This will subdue the most black and white values, boost contrast, and ensure that the linework has the darkest value on the canvas.
Fine-tuning the effect
11. Reactivate your threshold layer. This turns the halftone effect back on. The contrast will likely feel off — that will be adjusted next.
10. Select the image layer and add a Gaussian Blur from the filter dropdown. Set the blur to a value where the image is still easily identifiable with the blur added. Pay close attention to facial features in photos with people (see step 8 for visuals).
12. To balance out the lights and darks of the photo and find the right amount of detail, select your curves layer again. Adjustments made to this layer will have the largest impact on the contrast of the effect.
• Adjusting the left handle vertically affects the thicker parts of the lines.
• Adjusting the right handle vertically affects the thinner parts of the lines.
• Moving either handle horizontally will effect how the thin and thick parts of the lines taper into each other.
• Don’t move them too close on the horizontal axis, or the effect will disappear.
